The present invention relates to the field of physical fitness equipment. More specifically, it relates to controlling access to physical fitness equipment utilizing biometric data.
Modern gymnasiums and exercise facilities contain a great number of various physical fitness exercise equipment. This equipment includes stationary bicycles, treadmills, stair steppers, weight resistance machines, and many others. The attraction for individual users to purchase memberships to such gymnasiums and exercise facilities is the opportunity to use many different types of exercise equipment. It is not practical or affordable to have the variety of exercise equipment in the individual""s home.
With the number of persons becoming members of gymnasiums increasing, scheduling the use of individual exercise equipment becomes problematic. It is an inevitable problem that certain exercise equipment becomes more popular than others among users, or that certain exercise equipment is in greater demand due to its limited supply. Continuous unavailability of certain exercise equipment because other individuals are using it often causes gymnasium members to become discontent and to cancel their memberships.
Existing scheduling techniques used by gymnasium staffs consist of taking reservations over the phone, or instituting a sign-up log sheet. These techniques, however, fall short of solving the scheduling problem. For example, difficulties continue to arise when unauthorized users begin using exercise machines out of turn. Additionally, these techniques do not address concerns of gymnasiums that have franchises in multiple locations. Existing reservation techniques do not allow a member of such a gymnasium to make a reservation to use exercise equipment at various locations. What is needed is a system that combines scheduling and access control for individual exercise equipment located at one or more gymnasium locations.
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for scheduling use and controlling access to exercise equipment using biometric data. An electronic reservation system is provided to enable potential users to schedule desired date and time of use for physical fitness devices at one or more gymnasium locations. Individual physical fitness devices are provided with a sensor capable of perceiving biometric characteristics from a potential user. Prior to initiating use of a particular fitness device, the potential user provides personal biometric data to the sensor. The biometric data is sent to a biometric characteristics database that identifies the potential user. The potential user""s identity is then compared with the information in the reservation system to determine whether or not to allow the potential user access to the particular fitness device.
Such access control allows a scheduler or owner of the exercise equipment to effectively manage a reservation system for individual pieces of exercise equipment in one or more locations. It also allows the scheduler or owner to enable use, or exclude unauthorized use, of the exercise equipment. The biometric data may include various body characteristics, such as fingerprints, eye retinas, and facial patterns.